


what do you go home to?

by hoeziertozier



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Eventual Smut, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, also the other losers aren't really in this, bunch of irrelevant ocs, except in the beginning and through the gc, idk where im going w this but it's going to be super fluffy, ik there are loads of road trip aus out there but i wanted my own, not a texting fic but there's a bunch of texting, sort of???, that's all I know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 10:42:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15661590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeziertozier/pseuds/hoeziertozier
Summary: Eddie watched as Richie steadied himself and started crossing his front lawn. 'No', he thought, 'this can’t be it!'“Richie, wait!” he whisper-yelled. Richie turned around and frowned.Eddie’s eyes flit between the boy below his window and the shitty car on the other side of the road. He didn’t actually stop to think about it. His mouth moved instinctively.“You got any room in that hunk of metal for one more?”[Richie's leaving to drive across the country for college, and Eddie realizes he's not ready to say goodbye just yet.]





	what do you go home to?

**Author's Note:**

> guess who's back with another multi chapter fic????? (fiNALLY)
> 
> unlike with Kryptonite, i don't have the story pre-written, so updates will definitely be very irregular, especially since i start uni soon and won't know how much time i'll have. i'm really sorry about that! if you guys really enjoy this story, you can subscribe to it, so you'll get notified whenever i update!! 
> 
> i feel like i should mention this, but i'm not american nor i have i ever been to america, and am the last person who should be writing about a road trip across the states, but i enjoy making dumb decisions, so here we are :)))
> 
> also, a huge thank you to Courtney for always supporting me, ilysm <3 <3 <3
> 
> i hope you guys enjoy this!!!
> 
> title from What Do You Go Home To? by Explosions In The Sky (im currently obsessed w them ok)

Eddie looked up at the ceiling and sighed. It was far too early in the morning for a high school graduate to be awake, but here he was, staring at the cracked plaster above his bed. He was genuinely surprised his mother hadn’t done anything about it. He thought she was ever ready to fix anything that could be a potential threat to his health, and flecks of paint and plaster did fall into that category. Maybe she just didn’t know about it. It’s not like she ever came into Eddie’s room. (She did, quite often actually, but Eddie liked to believe his mother respected her eighteen-year-old son’s privacy). Or maybe she did know, but didn’t care enough, since he was leaving for university in less than a month anyway. It was possible she was still upset that he’d picked New York over her, and out of spite, refused to get the ceiling repaired. 

His eyes followed the crack as it started from the left corner, near his window, and moved diagonally across, stopping midway, directly above the edge of his bed. It wasn’t a deep crack that threatened to expand and drop chunks of his ceiling on his head. It was quite superficial really, he didn’t know why he was fretting about it so much. Probably just needed a distraction from what was really on his mind. 

Eddie wouldn’t be awake at four a.m. without a valid reason. And he was pretty exhausted, his eyes occasionally dropping shut. But he had to stay awake. There was no way he was going to miss the last time his best friend crawled through his childhood bedroom window. 

Richie was leaving for California that morning, a whole twenty days before university officially began. The over-enthusiastic teenager wanted to drive across the country in his beat-up, rattling convertible, and nobody could really stop him. Driving three thousand-ish miles to university had always been on his bucket list. Plus he was making the most of this opportunity and stopping at various places along the way, seeing as much of America as he could. A journey that would’ve taken four days at the most was almost three weeks long because of his wanderlust. Though he’d never admit it, Eddie was really bitter about it. If Richie didn’t want to go sightseeing, he would’ve stayed in Derry longer, and they’d have more time together. That’s all Eddie wanted. Time.

There was so much he wanted to do with Richie, so many things he had yet to tell him. He’d made plans for their last summer together, but his best friend had gone and put a damper on them with his stupid eighteen day across-the-country road trip. Eddie was upset. He just wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet.

A soft tapping on his window brought him out of his thoughts. He sat up to see Richie grinning at him goofily from the other side. The sight made his heart swell, and then immediately clench, for he knew this was the last time he’d see it. He shook his head and willed the thoughts to go away. He wasn’t going to start crying yet.

He opened the window and Richie rolled in onto the floor gracelessly. Eddie rolled his eyes and bit his lip to keep the fond smile away.

“You’re late,” he grumbled, helping the taller boy up.

“Aw, Eds, were you waiting up for me? I’m sorry, but your mom wanted an extra round tonight,” said Richie, still grinning like a dork.

Eddie punched his arm. “Shut up, and don’t call me that. Where were you?”

“Bev refused to let me go. She clung onto me like a koala.”

Eddie felt a wave of jealousy wash over him. He knew Bev and Richie were practically attached at the hip, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d wanted to be Richie’s hardest goodbye.

“So, have you met any of the others?” he asked, pushing away his selfish feelings. “Besides Bev, I mean.”

“Yeah, I said goodbye to all of them. Gotta save the best for the last,” Richie chuckled.

His heart skipped a beat. He felt a little guilty for being jealous. “Oh.”

“Yeah. So I guess I’d better go down to Mrs. K’s room, huh?”

Eddie scowled. “Beep beep, Richie. It’s literally your last hour in Derry, can’t you leave my mom out of it?”

Richie looked down and scratched his head sheepishly. “Sorry, Eds.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but didn’t know the words.

Eddie sighed. Great, he’d gone and made things awkward now. He tried to think of something,  _ anything _ , that would alleviate the tension, but all he could think about is how he was never going to see his best friend again.

“I’ll miss you,” he blurted out.

Richie looked at him and smiled softly. “I’ll miss you too, Spaghetti.”

Eddie couldn’t even bring himself to be mad about the nickname. He threw his arms around Richie’s waist and buried his face in his chest. Richie brought one hand up to run through his hair while the other wrapped around him. He swayed gently as Eddie sobbed into him. 

“Shh, it’s okay, we’ll be okay,” he whispered in his ear.

Eddie hiccuped. “You have to FaceTime everyday,” he mumbled into his chest. “Promise me.”

Richie chuckled. “I promise. You have to promise not to replace me with some super hot dude-bro.”

Eddie wrinkled his nose and looked up at him. “You really think I’d associate myself with those kind of guys?”

Richie shrugged. “Who knows? Anything’s an upgrade from a trashmouth.”

He was trying to play it off as a joke, but Eddie knew deep down he was genuinely afraid of being forgotten. 

“I wouldn’t want that upgrade,” he said, cupping Richie’s face, “I happen to like that trashmouth.”

Richie beamed. “There’s a lot more I can do with it, baby.”

Eddie blushed. “I take that back.”

“Uh-uh. No takebacks.”

He pouted. “No fair.”

Richie pinched his cheek. “Cute, cute, cute !”

Eddie shoved his hand away. “I’m definitely  _ not  _ going to miss that.”

“Ah, you love it, Eds.” Richie sighed sadly. “I need to get going.”

Eddie looked up at him, his blue eyes shining  with unshed tears.

_ Say it _ _!  _ His brain yelled at him.  _ Just tell him! It’s not too late yet. _

Eddie nodded and stepped behind. “Bye, Rich,” he said, smiling softly.

“Bye, Eds.”

Richie moved to crawl back out the window. Eddie’s fingers itched to just reach out and pull him back in, keep him in his arms forever. He had to let go, he knew that, but he didn’t want to. He didn’t think he’d ever want to.

“Oh, wait !” Richie stopped, perched on the window sill, with one leg hanging outside. He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. “Here,” he said, handing it to Eddie. “Read it in the morning, yeah?”

Something about Richie’s tone made it seem like it was pretty important, like it held all the answers, so Eddie just nodded. 

Richie smiled and booped his nose, before continuing on his way out. Somewhat noisily, he jumped onto the ground, making Eddie cringe. He held his breath and strained his ears to listen to his mother’s snores. She was definitely fast asleep.

Eddie watched as Richie steadied himself and started crossing his front lawn.  _ No,  _ he thought,  _ this can’t be it! _

“Richie, wait !” he whisper-yelled . Richie turned around and frowned.

Eddie’s eyes flit between the boy below his window and the shitty car on the other side of the road. He didn’t actually stop to think about it. His mouth moved instinctively. 

“You got any room in that hunk of metal for one more?”

Richie blinked up at him a couple of times, before his face broke out into a blinding grin. “Why, Mr. Kaspbrak, I thought you’d never ask.”

Eddie didn’t think about the consequences of his question and Richie’s response. There would be time to worry about that later. For now, he still had almost three weeks left with the most important person in his life. That’s all that mattered to him.

He grinned back. “Come back up here and help me pack.” 

* * *

Forty-five minutes later the two boys were standing on the Denbrough’s front porch. Once all his bags were packed and strapped into the backseat of Richie’s car, Eddie dragged him to their friends’ houses another round of goodbyes. There was no way he was leaving without seeing the Losers one last time.

Richie shot Bill a text, and they waited silently for him to come down. Thirty seconds later, the door was quietly pulled back to reveal a surprisingly wide awake Bill Denbrough. He frowned.

“Ruh-Richie? Is ev-everything okay?”

“Everything’s great, Big Bill !” He moved a little to the side and Bill noticed Eddie behind him.

“Ed?”

Eddie smiled and waved. “Hi, Billy.”

“Wuh-what are you d-doing here?”

“I’m joining Richie on his trip.”

“Yuh-you’re leaving too?”

Eddie bit his lip and nodded. “I won’t be coming back. I’ll go to New York from California, I guess.”

Bill looked between the two. “Okay. I-I’ll miss you, Eh-Eddie.”

Eddie wrapped his oldest friend in a bone-crushing hug. “I’ll miss you too, Bill.”

“Keep in t-touch, yeah?”

Eddie nodded into his shoulder. He missed the knowing look shared between Bill and Richie. He could feel Bill nodding against his forehead. He pulled back to see Bill raising an eyebrow and Richie looking at the ground awkwardly, scratching his neck.

“Is everything okay?”

Bill smiled warmly. “Everything’s fuh-fine. Enjoy y-your trip!”

“Will do, Billy boy.” Richie pulled Bill in for a quick hug before stepping off the porch and heading towards the car with Eddie. They stopped to give Bill another quick wave before he shut his door. 

Eddie sat in the passenger seat and wiped the tears flowing down his cheek. 

“You okay?” Richie asked, putting the key in the ignition.

Eddie sniffed and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just, saying goodbye is hard.”

He squeezed his shoulder. “It’s not forever. You’ll see him in another five months.”

Eddie shrugged. “I guess I’m just not used to it.”

Richie shot him a sympathetic look before starting the car. They stopped at Stan’s place next. He was grumpy and annoyed, like anyone woken up at nearly five in the morning, but the irritation was wiped off his face when they told him they were leaving. 

“So, you’re going on a road trip, together, with no one else?” he asked, smirking at the two, like he knew something they didn’t.

Richie and Eddie exchanged a look of minor confusion. “Uh, yeah, I guess,” said Richie.

Stan grinned smugly. “Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Richie scoffed. “That doesn’t leave room for much, Staniel.”

Stan rolled his eyes and turned to Eddie. Saying goodbye to him was a lot easier, since Stan was going to New York as well.

“Are you carrying all your things with you?”

Eddie shook his head. “There’s a couple of boxes in my closet of things I won’t need on this trip. Could you bring them with you when you leave? Ask Ben or Bill to get it from my house, if there’s anyone my mom will let into the house, it’s them.”

Stan chuckled. “Alright, Eddie. I’ll see you in a few weeks.” He gave them quick hugs before bidding them goodbye.

 

Ben and Bev were together at Bev’s aunt’s place. Unfortunately for them, they’d been caught in a rather compromising position. Richie had insisted on climbing up to Bev’s window and surprising her, only to find her bouncing on her boyfriend’s lap. She threw her bra at him, and Richie, completely startled, lost his balance and fell off the window sill and onto the ground. Eddie ran to him as he lay on the ground, clutching his elbow.

“Shit, Rich? You okay?”

He groaned. “Just peachy keen, Eds.”

Bev stuck her head out of the window. “Serves you right, Trashmouth!” She noticed Eddie and cocked her head to the side. “Hey, Eddie. What’re you doing here?”

“I’m leaving! With Rich!” 

Ben joined his girlfriend at the window. “Isn’t he going to the other side of the country?”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, and I’m going with him. I’ll catch a flight to New York from Cali.”

Ben smiled at him warmly. They shared a look, much like the one Richie’d shared with Bill a little while ago. Ben was the only one who knew exactly what Eddie was dying to tell his best friend. He gave the smaller boy a thumbs up and mouthed, “You should tell him, it’ll be okay!” 

Eddie couldn’t really see his mouth moving in the dark, but he knew what Ben was trying to say. He blushed and shot Richie a fond look, who was still grumbling about his fall. He looked back up at the couple. 

“We’re sorry for interrupting! You guys should get back to… you know…”

Bev laughed. “It’s fine! Have fun!”

Ben waved. “Bye guys! Stay safe.”

Richie hooted. “Bye, Haystack! Get some!”

Both yelled, “Beep beep, Richie!” in unison. Bev blew them a kiss and Ben waved again, before shutting the window. Eddie turned to his companion.

“Is your arm okay?”

He waved it off. “It’s fine, just bruised a little.”

Eddie pushed his sleeve up and examined his elbow. It was slightly scraped. He pulled Richie to the car and grabbed his first-aid kit.

“We haven’t even left Derry and you’re already get yourself injured.” Eddie shook his head, cleaning the wound.

“Hey, this wasn’t my fault!” 

“You insisted on climbing up to her window!”

“I didn’t think she’d be getting dicked at five a.m.!”

Eddie rolled his eyes and put a band-aid on his scrapes. “Do you want me to drive?”

Richie shook his head. “I’m all good, Nurse Spaghetti.” He smacked a wet kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for patching me up.”

Eddie’s face turned bright red. “Let’s just go to Mike’s,” he grumbled, wiping his cheek.

Mike was already up to help with the animals on the farm, so they didn’t have to worry about waking him up. Richie parked the car a little away from the barn, not wanting to disturb the animals. They found Mike on the field, herding the sheep. He was surprised to see them, to say the least.

“Richie? Eddie? Uh, what’s up?”

“I’m joining Richie on his trip,” said Eddie, “so I just thought I come and say goodbye.”

“Oh.” Mike smiled at them. “Well, I hope you guys enjoy yourselves!”

“Thanks, Mikey.”

“I’ll miss you two.”

“Aww, Homeschool, we’ll miss you too!” He pulled along and the two wrapped Mike in a warm hug. 

Mike giggled. “Okay, okay, you guys should be on your way!”

Richie smacked a loud kiss on his forehead before pulling away. “Bye, Micycle!”

Mike rolled his eyes fondly. “Bye, guys. Take care of yourselves.”

Eddie squeezed his bicep. “You too, Mike.”

They waved goodbye before heading back to the car. Eddie slumped into the passenger seat and looked out of the window. “I can’t believe a part of me is actually going to miss this shithole of a town.”

Richie glanced at him. “We made some pretty epic memories here, Eds.”

Eddie smiled fondly. “We did, didn’t we? I’m going to miss the Losers.”

Richie hummed in response. They drove down the empty streets, with soft music flowing out from the radio. 

“You sure you don’t want to say goodbye to your mom?” asked Richie, as they neared the town line. 

Eddie shook his head. “She won’t let me leave if I do. I left a letter for her on my bed. That’s more than enough.”

“You know she’ll probably call the cops once she finds out you’ve left.”

“They can’t do anything. I’m an adult and I left on my own.”

Richie ruffled his hair. “Look at you, Kaspbrak, being a badass.”

Eddie huffed and smoothed out his waves. He smirked proudly. “I’ve always been a badass.”

Richie grinned. “No arguments there.” He turned back ahead to face the road. They saw the ‘Leaving Derry’ sign come closer.

Eddie let out a loud exhale. “This is it, huh?”

Richie nodded. “This is it.”

As they crossed the town line, Eddie felt like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulder. On leaving Derry, he felt lighter, free, like nothing was holding him back. He laughed out loud.

“I can’t believe it!” He turned around and stuck his head out of the window. “Fuck you, Derry!” he yelled, middle fingers high in the air.

Richie whooped. “Yeah, fuck you, Derry!”

The two boys sat in the crappy car, laughing merrily without a care in the world, as they watched the ‘Welcome to Derry!’ sign disappear in the rearview mirror. Eddie had no idea what the next eighteen days held for them, but he was with his best friend, and that’s all that mattered.

* * *

**REDDIE GETS THEIR SHIT TOGETHER 2K18**

**5:17 a.m.**

**[Bev]: This is it, guys**

**[Mike]: Do you really think they’ll finally tell each other?**

**[Ben]: They’d better**

**[Ben]: I’ve been shipping them for five years**

**[Ben]: I love me a good slow burn but now it’s just too much**

**[Ben]: I can’t take it anymore**

**[Stan]: I’m just glad I’m not in the car with them**

**[Stan]: The sexual tension would be suffocating**

**[Bill]: do you think theyll fuck in the car**

**[Mike]: BILL!**

**[Stan]: Gross**

**[Bev]: Did not need that image thank you very much**

**[Ben]: I just want them to talk about their feelings**

**[Ben]: I’m so sick of their pining**

**[Bill]: richie talking about his feelings lmao nice one**

**[Mike]: 10 bucks says Eddie will make the first move**

**[Stan]: No, I think it’ll be Richie**

**[Stan]: He’ll do it without thinking about it**

**[Mike]: You’re on, Stanley**

**[Bev]: Tbh idc as long as they’ve got their shit together at the end of this trip**

**[Ben]: You and me both, babe**

**[Ben]: You and me both**

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on tumblr: hoeziertozier.tumblr.com


End file.
